Laptops and servers typically contain one or more dedicated slots or expansion slots for receiving optical drives. The attach rate of optical drives, however, is declining, and many laptops and servers are being ordered without an optical drive, and thus, the dedicated slot is unused. Previous solutions addressing these unused slots have included systems by which an optical drive slot can be occupied by a hard disk drive (HDD) or solid-state memory module, which uses the same electrical interface and communication protocol used by an optical drive. Such memory module has a similar form-factor, dimensions, and other features that allow it to be inserted, electrically coupled, mechanically retained, and ejected like an optical drive.
However, these systems are mounted as fixed drives and do not provide a user-friendly method facilitating, for example, interchangeability and expandability. For example, such systems do not provide drive letter or device persistence, they can be relatively large and bulky, and they provide limited shock and vibration resistance.
Thus, there exists a need in the art for systems and methods for removable memory cartridges and docking stations compatible with unused media drive slots, such as slots designed for slim-line optical media drives. There also exists a need in the art for systems and methods for removable memory cartridges and docking stations that provide expandable storage capacity via interchangeable, removable memory cartridges and permit drive letter or device persistence.